10 Reasons To Believe In The Existence
Of God

The Inevitability Of Faith

Everyone believes in something. No one can endure
the stress and cares of life without faith in something that cannot ultimately
be proven. Atheists cannot prove there is no God. Pantheists cannot prove that
everything is God. Pragmatists cannot prove that what will count for them in
the future is what works for them now. Nor can agnostics prove that it is impossible
to know one way or the other. Faith is unavoidable, even if we choose to believe
only in ourselves. What is to be decided is what evidence we think is pertinent,
how we are going to interpret that evidence, and who or what we are willing
to believe in (Luke
16:16).

The Limitations Of Science

Scientific method is limited to a process defined
by that which is measurable and repeatable. By definition, it cannot speak to
issues of ultimate origin, meaning, or morality. For such answers, science is
dependent on the values and personal beliefs of those who use it. Science, therefore,
has great potential for both good and evil. It can be used to make vaccines
or poisons, nuclear power plants or nuclear weapons. It can be used to clean
up the environment or to pollute it. It can be used to argue for God or against
Him. Science by itself offers no moral guidance or values to govern our lives.
All science can do is show us how natural law works, while telling us nothing
about its origins.

The Problems Of Evolution

Some have assumed that an evolutionary explanation
of life would make God unnecessary. This overlooks some problems. Even if we
assume that scientists will someday find enough "missing links" to confirm that
life appeared and developed gradually over great periods of time, laws of probability
would still show the need for a Creator. As a result, many scientists who believe
in evolution believe also that the universe in all of its immensity and complexity
did not "just happen." Many feel compelled to acknowledge the possibility or
even likelihood of an intelligent designer who provided the ingredients for
life and set in motion the laws by which it developed.

The Habits Of The Heart

Mankind has been described as incurably religious.
In unguarded moments of trouble or surprise, in prayer or in profanity, references
to deity persist. Those who would dismiss such thoughts as bad habits or social
vices are left with unanswerable questions. Denying the existence of God does
not dispel the mysteries of life. Attempts to exclude God from the language
of civil life does not eliminate the persistent longing for more than this life
has to offer (Ecclesiastes
3:11). There is something about truth, beauty, and love
that makes our hearts ache. Even in our anger with a God who would permit injustice
and pain, we draw upon a moral conscience to argue that life is not as it ought
to be (Romans
2:14-15). Even unwillingly, we are drawn to something that is more rather
than less than ourselves.

The Background Of Genesis

On first reading, the opening words of the Bible
seem to assume the existence of God. Genesis, however, was written at a point
of time in history. Moses wrote, "In the beginning God" after Israel's exodus
from Egypt. He wrote after miraculous events that were said to have been witnessed
by millions of Jews and Egyptians. From the Exodus to the coming of Messiah,
the God of the Bible rests His case on events witnessed in real time and locations.
Anyone who doubted the claims could visit real places and people to check out
the evidence for themselves.

The Nation Of Israel

Israel is often used as an argument against God.
Many find it difficult to believe in a God who would be partial to a "chosen
people." Others find it even harder to believe in a God who would not protect
His "chosen nation" from the boxcars, gas chambers, and ovens of Auschwitz and
Dachau. Yet from the beginning of Old Testament history, Israel's future was
prewritten. Together with other prophets, Moses predicted not only Israel's
possession of the land but also her unparalleled suffering and dispersion throughout
the whole earth, her eventual repentance, and then finally her last-days restoration
(Deuteronomy
28-34;Isaiah
2:1-5;
Ezekiel 37-38).

The Claims Of Christ

Many who doubt the existence of God have reassured
themselves with the thought, "If God wanted us to believe in Him, He would appear
to us." According to the Bible, that is what God has done. Writing in the 7th
century BC, the prophet Isaiah said that God would give His people a sign. A
virgin would bear a son who would be called "God with us" (Isaiah
7:14;Matthew
1:23). Isaiah said this Son would be called, "Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace" (Isaiah
9:6). The prophet also said that this child would die for His people's sins
before seeing His life prolonged and honored by God (Isaiah
53). According to the New Testament, Jesus claimed to be that Messiah. Under
the oversight of a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate, He was crucified on
charges that He claimed to be the king of Israel and that He had represented
Himself as being equal with God (John
5:18).

The Evidence Of Miracles

The reports of the first followers of Jesus agree
that He did more than just claim to be the long-awaited Messiah. These witnesses
said He won their trust by healing paralytics, walking on water, and then voluntarily
dying a painful, undeserved death before rising from the dead (1
Corinthians 15:1-8). Most compelling was their claim
that many witnesses had seen and talked to Christ after finding His tomb empty
and before watching Him ascend visibly into the clouds. These witnesses didn't
have anything on earth to gain by their claims. They had no hopes of material
wealth or power. Many became martyrs, claiming to the end that the long-awaited
Messiah of Israel had lived among them, that He had become a sacrifice for sin,
and that He had risen from the dead to assure them of His ability to bring them
to God.

The Details Of Nature

Some who believe in God do not take His existence
seriously. They reason that a God great enough to create the universe would
be too big to be concerned about us. Jesus, however, confirmed what the design
and detail of the natural world suggest. He showed that God is great enough
to care about the smallest details of our lives. He spoke of one who not only
knows every move we make but also the motives and thoughts of our heart. Jesus
taught that God knows the number of hairs on our head, the concerns of our heart,
and even the condition of a fallen sparrow (Psalm
139; Matthew
6).

The Voice Of Experience

The Bible says that God designs the circumstances
of our lives in a way that will prompt us to look for Him (Acts
17:26). For those who do reach out for Him, the Scriptures
also say that He is close enough to be found (Acts
17:27). According to the apostle Paul, God is a Spirit in whom "we live
and move and have our being" (Acts
17:28). The Bible makes it just as clear, however, that we must reach out
for God on His terms rather than our own. He promises to be found, not by just
anyone but by those who admit their own need and are willing to trust Him rather
than themselves.

If you do see the evidence
for the God who revealed Himself to us through His Son, then keep in mind that
the Bible says Christ died to pay the price for our sins, and that all who believe
in Him will receive the gifts of forgiveness and everlasting life. The salvation
Christ offers is not a reward for effort but a gift to all who in light of the
evidence put their trust in Him (John
5:24; Romans
4:5; Ephesians
2:8-10.